


I Can't Believe The Leader Of The Phantom Thieves is A Zombie!

by LynRRose



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/F, M/M, Multi, Not Royal Compliant, Protagonist Swap except not really, Rated M Just To Be Safe, no beta we die like men, nonbinary!naoto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:07:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynRRose/pseuds/LynRRose
Summary: Minako Arisato gave her life to become the Great Seal and save mankind from Nyx, but somehow she has woken up five years later just to be arrested unjustly. Now she must uncover the secret behind her revival and the Metaverse before the world falls into ruin.OrThat awkward moment when you're dead and you become the leader of the Phantom Thieves.
Relationships: Aigis/Arisato Minako, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Shirogane Naoto/Labrys
Comments: 74
Kudos: 177





	1. Chapter 1

I was really confused.

Like astronomically confused. I’m pretty sure anyone in my shoes would be confused too.

First off, I was dead. Or, at least, supposed to be dead. The last thing I remember was falling asleep in Aigis’ lap before being woken up by shouting. Of course, my first instinct was to scream louder than what had woken me up as I was prone to being snappish first thing in the morning. Then the bald guy pushing the girl into the car fell over and I was charged with assault.

Honestly, if I had context of the situation, it would have been assualt.

Now, I was on a train to Tokyo. I was going to be under probation for a year under a man my parents arranged to be my temporary guardian, which was weird since my parents were dead.

The train car was far from quiet, but I found it to be stifling silent. Ever since I first summoned Orpheus, and to a lesser extent, Thanatos, I was never quite alone in my thoughts. Orpheus always offered soft-spoken advice and reassurances, while another voice, one I now know belongs to Thanatos, urged me to follow whatever random desire crossed my mind. Of course, Thanatos’ voice started off as little more than a whisper that steadily grew as I talked to Pharos until I was able to summon him. I considered the two to be the two sides of the coin that was my personality; Orpheus, well Messiah now, my quiet, thoughtful side that was too obsessed with music and poetry for its own good and Thanatos, my impulsive side that was always screaming. While I could reach out to my other persona to consult with them, Thanatos and Messiah were always there.

That was part of the reason their silence disturbed me. I had tried to reach out to them or any other persona of mine, several times but each time I was met with nothing.

I fiddled with the smart phone in my hand. I wasn’t quite sure how I got it or how I knew how to use it, but boy, watching cat videos did wonders for the nerves.

Apparently it had been five years since I died, so technology was a lot more advanced than my SEES days. Not that I wasn’t grateful, but this freaking app keeps popping up and it won’t go away no matter how many I deleted it.

Finally, the train stopped and I started picking my way to Yongen-Jaya. Everything was going smoothly until the stupid red-eye app decided it was more important then my map. I spent a good ten seconds trying to get it to close before I realized everything but me had froze.

A pillar of blue flames sprouted in the middle of the street as a familiar presence swept over me.

“Messiah?”

_ Be careful… I sense a sinister force at work. _

Then he disappeared.

Leaving me alone.

Again.

“Come back here you son of a bi-!” Of course time had to unfreeze right in the middle of me chewing out Messiah. A deep frown etched into my face, I continued walking, ignoring the stares burning into me.

Damn it. I wish Aigis was with me. With her, the scathing gaze of the world was naught but background noise and I could actually not care what they said behind my back instead of pretending to.

A part of me felt guilty that I held Aigis on such a higher regard than the rest of SEES. I guess that’s a side effect of being a hopeless romantic. It’s not that I didn’t love them; they were a family to me. But Aigis was much more than that; a soulmate, if I was to be so bold.

I don’t think I ever properly conveyed how much I loved her. The words never came to my lips and not even in my faint dabbling in poetry could come close. It’s not like I was much of a poet anyway. I could barely call it a hobby. Scribbled lines hastily erased seconds after they were created. I was far too shy to keep it anything but a secret. I’m surprised that my teammates never suspected me. Orpheus was my persona afterall and lyrics were naught but sung poetry.

Maybe I could explore that passion in this new life. I pushed it aside for so long and I would probably have a lot of free time. I was repeating my second year after all.

I managed to find my way to my temporary guardian’s house, but apparently he was usually at Leblanc, the cafe he ran. I happened to pass it earlier so finding it was a lot quicker.

Leblanc was small, rustic and filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. It seemed like a nice place to unwind after a long day or to set up camp for a study session.

Or take a nap. Though I really need to break my habit of falling asleep in random places. Hopefully I’ll have a better sleep schedule now that I don't have to deal with shadows.

An old couple was talking about something called “mental shutdowns.” I think I’ve heard that term a few times the last couple of days. I made a mental note to look into it later.

Hopefully it wasn’t the new apathy syndrome. 

A middle aged man sat at the counter doing a crossword. My new guardian, if I had to hazard a guess.

“Excuse me, are you Sojiro Sakura?”

He glanced up from his crossword. “Who wants to know?”

“I’m Minako Arisato. I’m supposed to be under your care for the next year.” I tried to be as polite as possible, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot.

His eyes widened. “Oh right… they did say that was today.”

The old couple dismissed themselves after some idle conversation with Sojiro that I tuned out.

He murmured something under his breath before turning to me. “Honestly, you’re the last type of person I expected to walk through my door. An assault charge, huh? You don’t look likw you would hurt a fly.”

I resisted the urge to make a snappy comeback and kept on a pleasant smile. I still had the battle scars from fighting shadows, while I couldn’t draw from the power of my personas anymore, I could do far more than hurt a few flies.

“Well, not that matters. Follow me.” He began to walk further into the cafe and I followed. When we arrived at the top of a set of stairs, he motioned towards the cluttered second floor. “This is your room. I’ll give you sheets for the bed.” He looked back at me expectantly.

“It’s better than a lot of places I’ve stayed.” I said honestly. Orphanages were the worst.

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. “Well, I leave after I lock up at night, so you’ll be alone. Don’t do anything stupid though, I’ll throw you out if you cause any trouble.”

“You better not.” He huffed. “If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted. Cause any problems, and you’ll be sent straight to juvie. We’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow, to introduce ourselves to the staff.” He pointed to a cardboard box. “There’s your luggage. It might be in your best interest to clean up a bit.” With that, he went downstairs.

I waited a few seconds before pouncing on the cardboard box. Tearing it open, I dug through the box in an unlikely hope that at least one memento from my past life had somehow wound up in there, but I only found clothes and necessaries.

I sighed before taking a second look at the room.  _ This would definitely take a while to clean… _

Cursing the lack of my headphones and mp3, I began the mind numbing task.

My mind wandered to my friends. I wondered how they were doing. Good hopefully. Guilt clawed at my heart when I wondered how they reacted to my death.

I had been too tired from maintaining the seal for the guilt to bother me then, and now it has all come back to crush me.

I should have told them. I should have told them I was dying.

But didn’t want to spend my final days with them with such a dark cloud over our heads.

“What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise up here but I didn’t think you were actually cleaning.” I weakly glanced up at Sojiro. “What’s with that look? It’s like your dog died.”

Oh god, it’s been five years. Was Koromaru even alive? He was pretty old back then…

My guardian cleared his throat awkwardly. “The room looks a lot better… Anyway I’m heading out now…”

I didn’t respond, so he just went.

I just sort of stood for a while before my phone buzzed.

_ It better not be that freaking app again. _

It wasn’t this time, just someone texting me. Which was weird since I gave zero people my new number.

Unknown Number: Minako Arisato.

MA: Do you always start conversation with ominously typing out people’s names?

It was probably a bad idea to text whoever this was but I desperately needed something to distract me from my sorrows. But my text just bounced back.

_ What do mean this number doesn’t exist, it just texted me! _

A few seconds later, the unknown number sent a picture. In another few seconds, I realised it was a death certificate. 

_ My _ death certificate.

MA: Well it's about time someone figured it out.

UN: … You realise the gravity of this situation, right? Or do I have to spell it out for you?

MA: You’re blackmailing me. It’s kinda obvious. So what do you want?

UN: At first, I thought you were a lowly identity thief, but your mugshot matched your school photo perfectly. And suddenly appearing years after your death is not the only strange thing on your track record.

MA: You don’t have to give me a rundown of my life, just tell me what you want.

UN: First, how did you come back? And don’t say the body was a fake because I know it isn’t.

MA: That’s what I have been wondering myself.

UN: So you don’t know.

MA: Nope.

UN: If you are lying to me I will find out.

MA: Good thing I’m not lying.

UN: Now that is settled, on to other business…

MA: You want to know how to summon Satan or something?

UN: Excuse me

UN: You know how to summon Satan?!

MA: It was a hypothetical. 

UN: Hmm.

UN: Anyway, since I am ignorant of your current condition, I’ll give you a basic outline. Hurt or kill anyone and I will release this information all over the internet. I’m sure many people will be very interested in you, especially the government.

MA: You think I’m a vampire or something?

UN: I cannot rule that possibility out.

MA: Well, I guess I’ll text you if I ever get the munchies for human flesh. Can I get the name of the person who is blackmailing me at least? 

UN: You can call me Alibaba. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, Minako Arisato.

MA: Cool Beans.

I set my phone down.

_ Well, that just happened _ . On one hand, I was kinda glad someone was paying the slightest bit of attention. On the other hand, I didn’t expect anything like that.

At least it got me out of wallowing in my misery.

I glanced at the clock. 9 pm. Call me paranoid but its better to be safe than sorry.

I spent another hour doing some more cleaning, a half finding a convenient place to stow my clothes, and a hour watching random videos. The last half hour I just stared at the clock.

12 am.

Nothing.

I let out a relieved sigh, Despite me not currently sealing away Nyx, the Dark Hour hasn’t returned. That means I have some time to figure all this out. I didn’t necessarily want to return to being the Great Seal, but I had a feeling I had to. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant. It was like a dreamless sleep. Even though I was sleeping, I somehow picked up some knowledge. For example, Nyx wasn’t  malevolent , she, thanks to Erebus, thought humanity was sick of living,

Curling up into bed, I silently hoped that I would be able to see my friends again, even if it was for a fleeting moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check my profile for my twitter/instagram/tumblr for my art.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Criticism is always welcome! Comments make me work faster!


	2. Chapter 2

I jolted awake. Immediately, I realised I wasn’t in the dusty attic I fell asleep in.

Adrenaline fueled a “get out of bed as quickly as possible” roll, but my hands were bound and my leg was attached to something heavy, so I face planted.

A small chuckle echoed through the room. I glanced up to see twin children wearing blue prison guard outfits between iron bars.

_ Could it be? _

They stepped aside to reveal none other than Igor. I was about to cheerfully greet him before I was interrupted.

“Trickster, welcome to my Velvet Room.”

My smile immediately dropped. His voice… all wrong. It wasn’t his usually respectful squeak, but gravelly… gravel.

“So you’ve come to, Inmate.” The twin with the baton practically yelled.

“The you in reality in is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this a dream.” The one with the clipboard restated what I already knew.

“You’re in the presence of our master. Stand up!” Baton girl actually yelled this time.

I awkwardly stood up and shuffled over to the bars. Before I could ask any questions, I was once again interrupted.

“Welcome, I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” _ Acquaintance? You told me I was your favorite guest! _ Okay, something is definitely up. ‘Igor’ did the standard explanation and introduced himself. “I summoned you here to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well…”

I saw an opening and I took it. “What have  _ you _ been smoking?”

The one with the baton smacked the bars and electricity coursed through my veins. “Watch your tongue, Inmate!”

‘Igor’ let out a low growl. “Still, this is a surprise…” He looked around the room. “The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a “prisoner” of fate.”

I guess the Velvet Room’s appearance makes sense considering I’m the Great Seal… Wait, it doesn’t! “I choose this fate of my own free will.” That was the contract I signed and that is what I did! I might regret leaving my friends behind, but I don’t regret making sure the world doesn’t get destroyed!

“In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.”

Is he saying the Fall may happen again? “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

The inhabitants of the Velvet Room gave me a strange look. “There is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be rehabilitated. Rehabilitated towards freedom… That is your only means to avoid ruin…” ‘Igor’ continued.

Is he saying that to prevent the Fall I need to not return to the seal?

“...Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”

I have no idea what he is going at. “Um… sure…”

“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation. Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.”

The twin warden said something, but I was too struck by how adorable they were.  _ How did I not notice that when I first saw them? Well, there was the adrenaline and I have mostly been focusing on ‘Igor”. _

I was so zoned out that I totally missed being dismissed. An alarm went off and I woke up back in the real world.

_ Wait, does this mean I’ll get my persona back? _

Before I got too excited, I remembered Messiah’s warning.  _ A sinister force, huh? I wonder if that has anything to do with Igor not recognizing me. _

I didn’t talk with Sojiro much as he drove me to school, I was too lost in my thoughts. After getting the paperwork done, the principle gave me pretty much the same warning Sojiro did. I got my ID from my homeroom teacher then left. I didn’t make any snappy comeback, even though I really wanted to.

Even though I had absolutely nothing to do this afternoon, I was still annoyed at the traffic. Sojiro shared my annoyance. “Traffic’s not moving at all… You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.”

I replied with a small “alright.”

“...So how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can manage?” He seemed genuine in his concern.

“I rather be at my old school, but hey, beggers can’t be choosers.” I plastered on my trademark fake smile.

He shook his head. “I can’t get a read on you, kid. One moment, you look like your dead inside, the next, you look fine.”

I couldn’t help myself. “That’s because I am dead inside.”

“That’s not something you should be joking about so lightly.”

The radio buzzed on, informing us of a train derailment.

“...Another accident? So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately.”

Humor drained from my voice. “You think it has anything to do with those mental shutdowns?”

He grunted. “I don’t believe everything that's on the news.”

We eventually got back to the cafe, where Sojiro presented me a small notebook. He explained that he needed me to record my daily activities since he needed to report on it.

He didn’t say how though, so I decided that it would be good sonnet practice.

Again, I was left alone for the rest of the night, so after writing down the plights of the traffic. I did some basic exercises. From ‘Igor’s’ warning, I might be fighting again soon.

That damned app showed its ugly face again when I was looking up the train route to school. Deleted once again.

***

Sojiro was kind enough to feed me this morning, though I didn’t appreciate his “actually going to school” comment.

The train route wasn’t that bad even though some trains were late. What bothered me was that it suddenly decided to rain. And when I mean rain, I mean pour.

That app appeared again as I took shelter from the downpour.  _ What if this app is the sinister force that Messiah warned me about? Nah… That;s probably not it. _

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see I was no longer alone under the awning.

_ Hey, she’s pretty cute. _

She took notice of my stare and gave me a small smile.

A big dumb grin spread across my features as I looked away..

_ Aigis is way cuter though. _

A car pulled up in front of us and I knew there was going to be trouble before the window started sliding down.

“Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” And of course it's a creepy guy. 

“Um, sure. Thank you.” My eyes widened as the girl accepted the invitation so quickly.  _ What are you doing! _ I screamed on the inside.

“Do you need a lift too?”

Fake smile™ returned. “Ah, no thank you.”

I didn’t miss those downcast eyes as the window rolled up.

That would have been the moment that I would have gotten Thanatos to slash that creep’s tires. I cursed my lack of personas and an evoker.

Just as the creep’s car drove away, a guy with bleached hair ran up. “Damnit… Screw the pervy teacher.”

“Pervy teacher?” I repeated.  _ That was a teacher? _

He turned around and immediately got defensive. “...What do you want? You planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida?”

“The guy in the car?”

“Yeah,” His fist clenched. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is- the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?”

“I don’t really have an opinion, I’m new here after all.” That was a lie. I have a lot of opinions.

“A transfer student? You’re lucky not to know him.” He glanced up at the sky. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.”

Just as he turned, a spell of lightheadedness came down upon me. The air suddenly had a dangerous edge, like it did during the Dark Hour. Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I scanned the area around me. Nothing seemed different, but I wasn’t going to let my guard down that easily.

Masking my on-edgeness, I quietly followed the other student. He ducked into an alleyway, a shortcut I presume. I glanced behind me. This would be a bad place to be ambushed.

A strangled “what?” came from the other student and I turned back around.

_ I knew it _ .

A european castle towered in front of us, a sinister outline in the violet sky.

“We didn’t… come the wrong way though… Yeah, this should be right… What’s goin’ on here…?” He turned to me “I guess we’ll just have to go and ask.”

I grabbed his arm before he took another step. “No! that’s a bad idea!”

“Well how else are we supposed to figure out what  _ this _ is?” he gestured to the castle.

_ Oh boy, how am I supposed to explain this? _ “Call me paranoid but I don’t think whatever’s in there will take kindly to visitors.”

“Suit yourself then.” He shrugged before casually walking toward the potential shadow nest.

Sighing, I followed him.

“‘Though you didn’t want to go in.”

“Well I’m not letting you go in alone.”

We entered a vast ornate entry hall.

“That’s weird… Where’s the school…?” He mused aloud.

I forsaked responding in favor of keeping track of our surroundings. I saw him flip out his phone in the corner of my eye and mutter something about not having service.

“We should leave.”

“Not ‘til I figure out what’s going on here!”

Spotting a shadow shaped like a suit of armor, I yanked him backwards. “Seriously, we need to leave.”

“What’s up with you-”

“Trespassers!” The heavily armored shadow bellowed. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The other student yelled out in surprise just before a sound between a splash and squelch rung out and we were surrounded.

_ Shit. _

“What’s one of the princesses doing with this scum?” One of the new ones demanded.

“Princess!?” I never wanted to kill a shadow so badly.

“This heathen must have kidnapped her!”

The shadows were all yelling at my companion now, who looked more confused than he’s ever been. I thought I heard the word executed a few times. These shadows were strange, but that didn’t make them any less dangerous.

Cursing my lack of options, I lunged for one of the shadow’s swords. I didn’t have any experience with swords, but it was better than nothing.

The shadows were whipped up into a frenzy as I struggled to pry the blade from the one I lunged at.

Unfortunately, the shadow was stronger than I anticipated. It eventually shook me off and I hit the ground, hard.

My ears rang and my vision swam, but within all the fuzziness, I was able to see the boy I didn’t even know the name of being rammed by one of the shadows.

_ No! _ My fingers curled as I watched him hit the ground.  _ No one’s dying on my watch! No one has died yet and the hell if I will let someone die now! _

A familiar presence filled my mind as a painful headache amerged.

_ We have been resurrected. Once again, it seems the world requires our assistance.  _ Messiah’s soft voice echoed through my head.

I couldn’t help the maniac grin spreading over my features. “Well, you took your merry time showing up.”

Thanatos’ presence joined Messiah’s.  _ Hey! I’ll have you know that something was blocking us! _ He huffed.  _ Look at these punks, ganging up upon those weaker than them. Let’s teach them a lesson they’ll never forget! _

“Of course!” I stood up on shaking legs.

_ Our contract has been renewed. Now rip off this mask of helplessness and show them the songs that humbled Nyx.  _ Messiah urged.

I just now registered a weight upon my face. Out of instinct, I grabbed the foreign object and pulled. The pain was like the first time I pressed an evoker to my head and fired.

“Come to me, Thanatos!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that chapters will probably not come out this often. I just so happened to already have this chapter written out. Though thank you for all the support, it really means a lot!
> 
> Also, I have a question for you, the readers! Would you rather have shorter chapters with more frequent updates, or longer chapters with less frequent updates? So far I have been cutting off my chapters at about the 2000 word point.
> 
> Check my profile for my twitter/instagram/tumblr for my art.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Criticism is always welcome! Comments make me work faster!


	3. Chapter 3

It’s been months since it happened and Akira still can’t believe it.

It had been a regular day, nothing strange at all happened at school. He had been walking home when he spotted two suspicious people in an alleyway.

They were both wearing formal dark blue clothing, and they had stark white hair and piercing yellow eyes. That was weird but the suspicious part was that the male one was carrying what looked to be the dead body of a brown haired girl.

They didn’t seem to notice Akira yet, as they were peering out the alleyway in the opposite direction.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” The male one asked.

“Of course! Why trust some random guy with the fate of the world when we can trust it with someone who has already saved the world?” The woman replied. “Where is that kid anyway?”

Akira was debating calling the police when he was spotted. 

“Oh, there he is!” The woman smiled and suddenly an invisible force grappled him. He tried to struggle, but he could barely move his limbs. The invisible force dragged him into the alley behind the suspicious people.

“And now, we release our trump card!” At the woman’s urging, the man set down the body. Upon hitting the floor, the body did…. Nothing.

“Elizabeth, are we sure she can still use her body?” The man asked.

“Are you underestimating our dear guest?”

“No, of course not! It’s just…”

Akira had absolutely no clue what was going on. Before he could ponder on their words, there was shouting down the road.

“Just on time! Theodore, would you deposit her closer?”

The man sighed and the body floated out of the alleyway.

Akira saw the whole thing. The man forcing himself on the woman, how he fell at the girl’s scream, and the police coming and arresting the girl for assault.

After the police left, the invisible force let him go and the woman, Elizabeth, patted him on the head and said “Now, go enjoy the rest of your boring, meaningless existence.” The two left as Akira stood there, gapping.

He understood. Well, not everything but he understood some. He was the one who was supposed to defend that woman. He was the one supposed to be arrested.

Those people in blue knew his fate and intervened, placing someone else in what was supposed to be his shoes.

As he walked home, he pondered their words.

_ The fate of the world _ …

Akira didn’t know what all that was about but he would help that girl.

He at least owed her that much.

***

With the tearing free of the object, Thanatos’ power flooded my veins as he emerged with his signature scream. I had forgotten how good it felt to have a persona by your side.

The initial shock wave obilidorated a few while the other shadows were knocked back. As Thanatos started tearing them apart, I grabbed the guy and ran.

Thanatos quickly finished them off and floated after us. We ducked in a sideroom, and I pressed myself against the door, listening for pursuiters. Thanatos mimicked me and added his senses to my own.

“Okay, I think we’re good for now.” After a few seconds, I pulled away from the door and turned to the blonde.

“What. Was. That.” His eyes were wide with confusion.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.” Thanatos pushed his head under my arm and I subconsciously started scratching his chin. He let out a satisfied mental sigh.

“How about that thing floating behind you!”

“Him?” I pointed at Thanatos. “Oh, that’s just Thanatos. He looks really scary but he’s actually a sweetheart.” I gave him a good head pat.

“And your clothes?”

“What about my clo-” I looked down and realised that I was no longer wearing my Shujin uniform. Thanatos pulled back as I twirled, seeing myself through his eyes.

I was now clad in a black leather trench coat patterned like Thanatos’. White gloves adorned my hands and white boots my feet. A bright red belt was wrapped around my arm where my old SEES armband used to sit.

_ We match! _ Thanatos practically sang.

“Why did no one tell me I look good in leather?” I demanded. “Anyway, I have no idea why my clothes changed but I’m digging it.”

The blonde glanced between Thanatos and I nervously. Oh, Thanatos was making him uncomfortable. I quietly de-summoned him and the weight from before returned to my face.

_ Wait a minute… _

I pulled off the weight and Thanatos returned to my side. I moved to replace the now non-existence weight and Thanatos was de-summoned again.

“Well that’s convenient.”

The blonde shook his head. “What is going on here?”

“What happened is you were an idiot and walked straight into a shadow nest. Luckily, I was here or else you would have died.”

“Who are you anyway?”

“I am Minako Arisato, the bane of shadows everywhere.” I pridefully huffed.

I felt Messiah roll his eyes.

“And you are?”

The blonde blinked. “Oh me? I’m Ryuji. Do you know where we are?”

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off.

“It’s a palace.”

I swirled around and pointed my naginata (which somehow teleported into my hands) at a… cat?

“Woah, woah! I’m a friend, I’m a friend!” The cat monster waved its arms around wildly. “See, I have a persona too!” In a flash of blue flames, a gentlemanly persona with a rapier sprung into existence.

I lowered my naginata. “So you know what this place is?”

“One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a palace” The cat explained, de-summoning his persona.

“Distorted desires?” I murmured to myself. “So this isn’t a regular old shadow nest. Is that why those shadows were acting so weird?”

“All the shadows here are controlled by the palace ruler. For this certain palace, I believe the ruler is someone named Kamoshida…”

“For real?” The blonde exclaimed as a realization dawned on me.

“ _ Shit! _ ”

“What’s wrong?” The cat creature asked.

“I was supposed to meet my teacher  _ before _ class started. Hey, cat-thing!”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not a cat! I’m Morgana!”

“K, Morgana, do you know a way out of this place that’s mostly shadow-free?” I asked.

“I will on one condition,” Morgana answered. “You come back here. I could use another persona user as an ally, especially one as powerful as you.”

“I was going to come back anyway, so deal.” He held out his little paw and we shook.

“Alright follow me!” He led us to a room with a “vent” to the outside. From there, we exited the gates of the castle and the world shifted back to what it should be.

“You have returned to the real world.” I looked down. The voice seemed to have come from my pocket. 

Oh, the app. That must have something to do with that other world.

“So… What was all that?” Ryuji asked.

“School now, talk later.” I started to drag him back in the direction of the school.

“W-why you so obsessed with getting to school on time?”

“Education is important!” I said, quickly checking my phone.

_ 10 new message from unknown number _

I put it back in my pocket. I could deal with that later.

***

Kawakami sighed. “Late on the first day, huh? Well, at least you showed up.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’ll have you introduce yourself to the class.”

We entered the classroom, which was a buzz with conversation. 

“Is that her?”

“She looks kind of normal though…”

“But she might slug us if we look her in the eye…”

They were talking about me, I could gather that, but I wasn’t sure why they were talking about me in such a way. 

“Alright, settle down.” Kawakami raised her voice and the class quieted down. “Well, I’d like to introduce a transfer student: Minako Arisato. She got a bit lost today so that’s why she is late. All right, please say something to the class.”

“It’s nice to meet all of you. I hope we all get along.” I bowed respectfully.

“She’s so polite… I wonder how she kept the members of her gang in line.”

“What are you talking about? She doesn’t have a gang, but she’s definitely into compensated dating.”

“She definitely has that cutesy appeal. Men must eat her up.”

“Why can’t she have done both? She was arrested for assault.”

I listened to this exchange silently. Thanatos was stuck between shouting “ _ Fuck yeah, I have a gang _ ” and trying to strangle the one who dared sugest we would participate in compensated dating. Messiah just put a mental hand on my shoulder.  _ Ignore them. They know not who they speak of. _

“Your seat will be… over there, the one that’s open.” Kawakami pointed to the seat behind the girl I saw this morning. “Sorry, but can the people nearby please share your textbooks with her for today?” 

As I passed by that girl, I heard her murmur “Lies.”

“Tell me about it.” I murmured back before plopping down in my seat.

“...Did you catch that? Do those two know each other?”

I tuned the rest of it out for my sanity.

I perked up a bit when Kawakami mentioned a volleyball rally. Maybe I could join the team, it would probably help my reputation. 

Kawakami pulled my aside after class. “It seems like people are already talking about you, but I’m not the one who told them.” She sighed. “I can’t even catch a break… Why do I have to deal with this? Oh, and I heard you were with Sakamoto-kun this morning...”

“Hm? Is there something wrong with Ryuji?”

She narrowed her eyes. “On a first name basis already?” She sighed again. “Just steer clear of him. He wasn’t so bad when he was on the track team, but…”

I spotted Ryuji heading towards us.

“Speak of the devil…” With yet another sigh, she turned to reenter the classroom. “Just don’t get involved.”

As she left, Ryuji stopped next to me. “Meet me on the rooftop.” He muttered before walking away.

There were whispers everywhere, all about my supposed guilt. I weathered them as I headed towards the rooftop. If it were not for Messiah’s strength, I wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face.

Ryuji was waiting for me when I finally got there. “There you are… sorry for calling you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like, “don’t get involved with him,” huh?”

“Seems like I’m not the only one with a bad reputation.” I sat down on one of the desks.

“Yeah, heard on the grapevine you have a criminal record. But more importantly, about the castle…”

“I’m probably not the best person to ask. That cat seems to know a lot more about it than I do.”

“But that place has something to do with Kamoshida, right?” His eyes narrowed. “Then take me back there with you!”

I scratched the back of my head. “I would, but you don’t have a persona and non persona users can’t damage shadows. It’s just too dangerous.”

“A persona is what comes out of you all dramatic-like, right?” I nodded. “Well, how do I get a persona then?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m not an expert in the subject, but before anything else, you have to have the potential to have one. Then it first forms under intense emotional distress. For example, I was attacked by a pretty massive shadow when I first awakened my persona.” I looked at him, weighing the options on whether to tell him this last part. “But if that world acts anything like the realm of shadows that I know, you might actually have the potential.”

“Hell yeah!” He fist pumped.

I sighed. As much as I would like some backup, I didn’t want to endanger him if I was wrong.

“So when are we going to go in again?”

“Tomorrow after school, if you don’t mind.”

“No problems here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where updates are going to become more infrequent, since I've run out of prewritten material. Also, shorter chapters won out so hopefully the next update will be pretty quick!
> 
> Anyway, thank you for your continued support!
> 
> Check my profile for my twitter/instagram/tumblr for my art.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Criticism is always welcome! Comments make me work faster!


	4. Chapter 4

A palpable tension hung in the air as Mitsuru quietly observed the people that she had called together. Aigis, Shinjiro, and Yu sat to her right, and Fuuka, Labrys, and Naoto sat to her left.

“So,” She started. “You all know why I’ve called you here.”

“It’s because of Aigis’ visions, is it not?” Naoto spoke up.

“Yes. According to Aigis’ visions, the Great Seal is missing.”

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.

“Yu, have you been able to confirm that fact with the residents of the Velvet Room?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t been able to access the Velvet Room. It’s strange, if something like this important did happen, the Velvet Room would have approached me. I’m not doubting Aigis’ visions though.”

Mitsuru pinched the bridge of her nose. “So we have no way to confirm this, even by ourselves as the Velvet Room is the only way we know of to access the Sea of Souls. To err on the side of caution, we must assume that the Great Seal is in fact missing. That means the Fall can happen any day now.”

The tension in the room thickened.

“We are not without leads. Aigis, can you describe your second vision?”

The blonde android stood up. “Shortly after my first nightmare about the Seal being missing, I had a vision of a jail full of shadows. I am positive that someone there used the Universe.”

The room broke out into murmurs.

“The Universe, the power to create miracles…” Labrys mused aloud.

Naoto cleared their throat. “I don’t think we can rule out the possibility that the Great Seal was stolen. That sort of power is coveted by many people.”

“If someone really did steal her, they certainly have some nerve.” Shinjiro growled. 

Fuuka rubbed her chin. “To steal the Seal, you would at least have to know about personas and shadows, I would think.” 

“I don’t think it’s Sho.” Yu said.

“I don’t think so either, but we can’t rule him out,” Mitsuru stated. “As the current members of the Shadow Operatives, our mission will be to find the Seal and replace it as soon as possible. Fuuka, Labrys, and Naoto, you are tasked with finding the shadow nest in Aigis’ vision. Aigis, Shinjiro, and Yu find Sho. He might not be connected to this, but we have to cover all our bases. I have contacted the reverse members and they are ready to give backup at a moment’s notice. Everyone understand their roles?” A chorus of yeses sounded. “Alright. You all are dismissed.”

“I know we’ve faced the potential end of the world before, but it’s still kinda scary.” Said Labrys as she walked away with Naoto and Fuuka. 

Naoto’s hand curled around Labrys’ and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this.”

***

After meeting up with Ryuji, I figured now was probably the best time to check my messages.

UN: WHAT THE FUCK

UN: YOU JUST VANISHED OFF THE GPS

UN: WHERE ARE YOU?!

UN: hello?

UN: hellooooo

UN: hey

UN: oh hey you’re back

UN: I know you are getting my messages

UN: Respond!

UN: Respond already!

I probably should be concerned that Alibaba was tracking my location, but I wasn’t.

MA: Sorry got warped into a demon dimension. Then there was school. You know, a regular Monday.

UN: EXCUSE ME?

UN: YOU WHAT?

MA: It’s fine. I just need to do some investigating, going to go back tomorrow.

UN: LIKE HELL YOU AREN’T

MA: So you’re fine with having the world end.

UN: What does the demon dimension have to do with the world ending!?

MA: Well last time it did.

UN: Last time?

MA: It’s legit the reason why I died.

UN: Don’t tell me

MA: I died for your sins.

UN: Goddammit

UN: I guess I can’t stop you from doing this.

MA: Nope, you cannot. 

UN: Just don’t kill anyone.

MA: What if they try to crucify me?

UN: …..

UN: I’m not going to ask.

UN: Just don’t let the world end. I kinda like it.

MA: Got it.

By the time I finished my conversation, I was almost back to Leblanc. Sojiro glanced up at me when I entered. “I heard you were late to school today.”

“Yeah, I got lost.”

“Just don’t make it a habit.” 

I nodded and headed upstairs. I did some basic exercises and headed off to bed.

***

So apparently, the weird app was Igor’s doing, though all throughout that meeting with Igor, Messiah was whispering to me that something was wrong. I had to agree, but I couldn’t put a finger on exactly what was wrong.

After class, I saw the student in front of me talking with that creepy teacher.

“Hey there, Takamaki. You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous with all those accidents.” 

“Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It’s for a special summer issue, so I can’t afford to miss it…”

“Hey now… Being a model is fine and dandy, but don’t work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren’t feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?”

“Yes. I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I’ve been busy… Sorry to worry you.”

“You must be lonely too. I feel bad keeping your best friend at practice so often. That’s why I asked you out in the first place. Oh, and… be careful around that transfer student. She’s got a criminal record after all. If something were to happen to you…”

“...Thank you, please excuse me.” And she walked off. Shortly after, he walked off too after making an ugly sound.

Wait, was he the couch for one of the sports teams? I hope he doesn’t couch volleyball.

I walked to the school gates, where Ryuji was waiting.

“Yo.” 

“Hey,” I walked over to him. “Up to going to that castle again?”

“Definitely! Especially if it has something to do with that bastard Kamoshida. Anyway, how do we get back there?” 

I pulled out my phone and showed it to Ryuji. “I think it has something to do with this app.”

“Yeah, it looks like a navigation app. I guess we look at the history section?”

“Wait, maybe we should duck into the alley before we start messing around with this thing.”

“That’s a good idea.”

We both moved promptly into the alley, where we tapped on the history button.

“Kamoshida pervert castle? Well, it certainly was a castle, I just don’t see how it is a  _ pervert _ castle.” I murmured to myself. “Then again, we didn’t go that far in…”

I looked at Ryuji. “Ready to go in?”

“Hell yeah I am!”

The world around us warped and turned into that castle again.

When the castle fully formed, I was practically tackled by that cat creature. “You came back!”

I pushed Morgana off of me. “Of course, I came back. Shadow nests are bad news.”

He looked at Ryuji, “Though why did you bring him back with you? He’ll be nothing but dead weight.”

“Dead weight?!”

Suddenly, screams echoed out from the depths of the castle.

“What was that?”

“Oh, that’s probably the slaves.” Morgana stated plainly.

“ _ The slaves _ ?!” I shouted. “There are more people here? Come on,” I rushed to that vent-thing entrance. “We gotta save them!”

“Wait, Lady Minako!”

I froze at those words. I craned my head back to look at Morgana. “Excuse me, but what the fuck did you say?”

I could see Morgana sweating. “Um, Lady Minako?”

“Never fucking say that to me again, capiche?”

“A-alright.” He gulped loudly. “But the slaves in there aren’t real people. They’re cognitions. They’re what Kamonshida thinks of the volleyball team.”

“ _ Fuck. _ ” I muttered. I wanted to join the volleyball team.

“W-why are they screaming though?” Ryuji asked.

“If I had to hazard a guess, it’s because he’s abusing them in real life.” Morgana answered.

“I knew it!” Ryuji turned to Morgana. “You gotta show where they are.”

“Alright.” Morgana sighed, before turning to me. “While you can clearly handle yourself, we should avoid as many fights as possible.”

I nodded and began to climb into the vent-thing before being stopped by Ryuji. “Oh, hey, I brought this just in case!” He held out a gun. “Its only model though, but it makes sounds!’

“That’s a toy!” Morgana complained.

“But, it looks totally real, so it’ll at least fake ‘em out.”

“Cool,” I said. “Shoot yourself in the head with it.”

“What!?” Both boys responded.

“Come on! Don’t you want a Persona?”

Morgana hopped agitatedly. “But that will kill him!”

I snatched the gun out of Ryuji’s hand. “Don’t be so dramatic. Back in ye olden days, we had to shoot ourselves in the head  _ every time _ we wanted to use a persona. Something about facing death and all that. Besides, this is a model gun.” I pressed the gun against my head, comfortably familiar feeling. “So nothing will happen.”

_ Um, Minako _ . Messiah spoke up.

_ Yes? _

_ Maybe you should point it away from yourself until you confirm it is in fact a model. _

_ K, whatever. _

I pointed the fake gun at the wall and fired. With a loud bang, a smoking bullet hole appeared in the brick.

“...Ryuji, this is a real gun.”

“Actually, it is fake, however, the shadows perceive it as real, so it works like a real one.” Morgana explained.

“Weird but okay.”  _ Someone remind me to not shoot myself with this. _

_ Got it, boss.  _ Thanatos saluted in my head.

“Anyway, we should probably move out pretty soon. The shadows probably heard that gunshot.” Morgana crossed his arms.

I grunted in affirmation, and we headed into the dept of Kamoshida’s heart.

On the way there, Morgana tried to teach me how to threaten shadows, which was new to me, but these shadows actually had some intelligence, in addition to looking like personas for some reason.

“Now, cough up all you have!” Morgana demanded, pointing his slingshot at a downed pixie.

“Um, well,” she averted her gaze. “I don’t have anything on me right now…”

“What!” He looked at me, eyes wide. “I swear this never happens…” He refocused on the pixie. “Well, time for you to go. To hell!”

“Wait!” She pointed at me. “It’s you!”

I pointed to myself. “It’s me!”

The pixie’s eyes when wide in a sort of dazed look. “I remember everything….” Then in a flash of blue, that pixie turned into a mask and when flying towards my face.

I did what any sane person would do and matrix-dodged the incoming mask. Unfortunately, it u-turned at the last second and landed right on my face. 

I felt Pixie being added to my stock of personas.

_ Oh, that was what that was… _

“Minako, are you okay?” Morgana and Ryuji rushed to my side.

“I’m fine, I just didn’t expect it.” I rolled my shoulders. “On the bright side, I have a persona that knows zio now.”

“Wait, what?”

I rubbed my chin. “Oh, I guess I never told you. I can use multiple personas.”

Morgana’s eyes went wide. “That shouldn’t be possible!”

“Well, it is.” I tore off my mask. “Come, Pixie!” The shadow from earlier appeared next to me.

Morgana’s shocked expression slowly turned into a grin. “Well, it turns out you’re more of an asset than I imagined. Now come on, let’s get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: LabrysxNaoto is a thing now. I don't make the rules. 
> 
> Wow, we are almost at 100 kudos. Thank you all for the support!
> 
> Also, I would appreciate if you guys would check out some of my other stories. I worked hard on all of them!
> 
> Also also, I will eventually be posting art of Minako in her thief outfit here, so watch out for that. (Though quick question, would you like art to be in their own chapters or add to the beginning/end of a new chapter?)
> 
> Check my profile for my twitter/instagram/tumblr for my art.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Criticism is always welcome! Comments make me work faster!


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